Mar 24, 2014

Private Dining Rooms For Discrete Hen Nights In London West End

It’s a fact that, on the whole, we’re getting married later in life. Marriage in one’s early 20s gave way to late twenties, and now it’s frequently pushing into the early and mid-thirties and even early 40s. This has had a knock on effect on the type of venues that ‘late blooming brides’- are looking for in our hen nights. Similarly for those who are going through nuptials for the second, third or more-th time… while there’s still the excitement and anticipation of the big day and wedded bliss to come, many brides-to-be want to have a fun and glamorous hen night, but not in a brash or clichéd way.

Discrete private dining rooms in glamorous, funky or fun venues are the key to a great night where there’s delicious food, sumptuous surroundings and a relaxed atmosphere.

Holding a hen party dinner in a private room provides the bride and her guests the exclusivity and privacy of being away from the main restaurant and having the space to feel that the room really is your own for the evening.

Soho  and Fitzrovia provide that particular type of style where there’s an easy going ambience but also gourmet dinners, and the townhouses-turned-restaurants in these parts of London’s West End give that extra elegant feel of dining in a private drawing room. Many now also boast private bars within the same buildings, thereby allowing for a range of stages within an evening all under one roof.

Great private rooms to do this in are Bam Bou, Kettner’s and Gauthier where there are plentiful secret rooms for hire.

Bam Bou – Fitzrovia

Bam Bou’s creaky stairs hide rooms for parties of 9 up to 30. Most of the French Vietnamese colonial style décor is original and – from personal experience – sharing the Asian/fusion dishes around the oval table in such elegantly antiquated surrounds provides a fun and original party hen night that the bride-to-be and her guests will never forget, while the Red Bar upstairs provides a great extra place to decamp to post dinner for some extra late-night partying.

Kettneer’s – Soho

Round the corner is Kettner’s. Originally four Georgian townhouses, Kettner’s has finally been given the loving restoration it so needed and deserved – with a generous helping of Farrow and Ball to emphasise its plentiful original features. Its modern European cuisine can be enjoyed in elegant Georgian dining rooms such as The Salon or Tete a Tete for parties from 10 to 40 or The Studio – an oak panelled private room complete with private bar for up to 80. It also has an optional piano for the more musical parties – such as those Oscar Wilde and Lilly Langtree used to enjoy.

Gauthier – Soho

Almost next door is Gauthier – this classic Regency venue, which used to be home to Richard Corrigan’s Lindsay House, has a new pedigree owner in Alexis Gauthier (formerly of Roussillon). It has five private rooms which can seat from 4 to 40. From a boyish ‘Games Room’ to elegant dining room, wine cellar and Hidden room which celebrates all things retro chic, there’s something for every type of blushing bride – except anyone liking straight walls or floors – there’s not a single right angle in the joint.. but that, as well as the exceptional cooking, fine wine and fun décor is part of its innate charm and appeal.